Jewelry box



Sept. 26, 1939. G VALENTINE ET AL 2,174,430

JEWELRY BOX Filed March 24, 1938 fir INVENTORS HJeZZGVZCZWaZ/er fia'r ATToRNEYs Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE JEWELRY BOX Application March 24, 1938, Serial No. 197,900

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved box or receptacle for holding articles of jewelry and the like, and has for one object to provide a simple and reliable hinge construction for the same having relatively few parts designed to operate in an efficient and satisfactory manner.

A further object of the invention is to construct the top and bottom sections of the box each as a unit and likewise the hinge, the said v1O units having self-contained parts which facilitate assembling of the units and which serve as the connecting means between the same, thus making it unnecessary to provide the usual separable parts for securing the hinge to the box and the customary tools for applying the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide the hinge leaves for connecting the body and cover sections of the box with self locking parts operating automatically when positioning the leaves on said sections.

A further object of the invention is to construct the box sections and the hinge therefor in a manner to effect a considerable saving in the cost of manufacturing the same.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a box embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation through the rear portion of the box drawn to an enlarged scale to better illustrate the construction of the hinge and the method of applying the same to the box; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the rear end of the body of the box;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line l'l of i Fig. 8 is a face View of the hinge with the cover closing spring removed therefrom, and

Fig. 9 is an end View of the hinge shown in Fig. 8. The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Referring to the drawing, the body and cover sections of the box or receptacle are designated by the reference numerals l0 and l I, respective- 1y, each of said sections being preferably formed of moldable material such, for example, as Bakelite, rubber, or other suitable material. The shape and size of the box may be varied as desired, depending on the character and size of the articles to be kept therein. The illustrated em- 5 bodiment of the invention is intended for use in connection with small articles of jewelry and particularly rings, but may be used as a receptacle for other articles as well.

The body section [0 is of rectangular construc- 10 tion and comprises a bottom wall l2 having upstanding front and rear walls l3 and 14, respectively, connected by the side walls E5. The cover section has front and rear wall portions 16 and El connected by an arched or curved wall 16 portion IS, the side walls of the cover section being indicated at I9.

The hinge for connecting the body and cover sections of the receptacle is designated generally by the reference numeral 20, Figs. 8 and 9, and 20 comprises a pair of leaves 2| connected by the usual pintle or pivot member 22. Each of the leaves has a pair of forwardly and rearwardly projecting resilient ears 23 and 24, respectively. The ears are formed by providing short parallel 25 slits in the leaf, connected by a transverse slit, and striking upwardly the material at opposite sides of the transverse slit and in opposite directions to provide said forwardly and rearwardly projecting ears, the latter extending in the di- 30 rection of the pintle of the hinge and the former in the opposite direction, as shown in Fig. 5, with the result that an opening 24a is afforded between the ears, two sides of which are defined by the free ends of said ears. 5

The rear wall of the body section of the receptacle is cut away for a portion of its length to form a seat 25 for the portion of the hinge surrounding the pintle, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, said rear wall having upstanding lugs 26 provided 40 for a purpose described hereinafter. The side walls l5 of the body of the box are provided with inwardly extending abutments 2'! which are spaced slightly in advance of the rear wall I4 to provide slots or recesses 28 for the reception of 45 the edge portions Zla of the hinge leaves, said edge portions being bowed or offset as indicated at 2 lb to provide for a spring-like action of said edge portions when forcing them within said slots whereby to compensate for any possible varia- 5Q tions in the thickness of the leaves or the width of the slots which may occur in the process of manufacture of the parts in order to insure a tight fit of the leaves within the slots. The rear wall M of the body section has formed therein a 55 pocket or recess 29 in order to provide a shoulder 30 for the reception of the rearwardly extending ear 24, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that the hinge leaf attached to the rear wall I! of the cover section of the receptacle is the same as that secured upon the rear wall M of the body section and that consequently the slots 28, recess 29, and shoulder 30 of said body section are duplicated in the construction of the rear and side walls of the cover section, for which reason the corresponding parts of the two hinge leaves and those of the body and cover sections have been given the same reference numerals.

It will also be understood that on applying the hinge leaves to the body and cover sections that it is only necessary to slide each into the slots 28 of the section and that on movement of said leaves to final position within said slots the ears 24 of the leaves will, due to the resiliency of the material, snap into the recess 2% and into engagement with the shoulder 39 whereby the leaves will become locked in position on the body and cover sections of the receptacle.

The spring 3| for returning the cover section of the receptacle to normal closed position has its ends hooked over the forwardly extending ears 23 of the hinge leaves, the free ends of the spring extending within the opening 24a of the hinge leaves, as shown in Fig. 5. Due to the tension of the spring the force exerted by the latter on the ears 23 in the direction of the pivotal axis of the hinge will tend to urge the free ends of the cars 24 in engagement with the shoulders 30, thus insuring retention of the leaves in proper position upon the body and cover sections. Furthermore the leaves are also held against accidental displacement through frictional engagement with the walls of the slots 28, due to the tight fit of the same within the slots afforded by bowing the edges of the leaves, as shown in Fig. 9, or otherwise forming the same. However, if for any reason the side edges of the leaves are not fitted tightly within the slots the resilient ears 23 will hold the leaves in position, especially in view of the fact that they are urged in engagement with the shoulders 30 by the action of the spring 3i.

The cover section is limited in its movement to open position by engagement of the rear edge portion 32 thereof with the lugs 26 of the body section which serve to arrest the cover section when it has been swung to full open position, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that an important feature of the invention resides in the simplified method of constructing and applying the hinge to the box sections. By striking upwardly the ears of the hinge leaf in close relation one to another the size of the leaf can be reduced to a minimum. Furthermore the striking outwardly of the ears can be performed at one operation, thus reducing the cost of providing the means by which the spring can readily be secured in position on the body and cover sections of the box.

It will be apparent therefore from the construction shown and described that the self-contained parts of the hinge and the box sections by which the sections are connected one with another makes it possible to apply the hinge to the box merely by inserting the leaves in position thereon, thus avoiding the use of separable securing parts for connecting the hinge leaves with the sections of the box.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details described but is intended to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A receptacle of the class described comprising body and cover sections, the side walls of each of which are provided adjacent their corresponding rear walls with abutments spaced slightly in advance of said rear walls, said rear walls each having a shoulder on its inner face, a hinge connecting said sections comprising a pair of leaves, the side edges of each of which are disposed between the inner face of one of said rear walls and the abutments of the corresponding side walls, said leaves each having a pair of ears one projecting forwardly from the leaf and extending in a direction away from the pivotal axis of the hinge and the other projecting rearwardly from the leaf and extending in the direction of said axis and in looking engagement with the shoulder of the rear wall on which the leaf is disposed, and a spring for closing the cover section having its opposite ends connected with the forwardly projecting ears of said leaves, said spring exerting pressure on each of said leaves in a direction tending to urge the rearwardly projecting ear thereof in engagement with the shoulder corresponding thereto.

2. A receptacle of the class described comprising body and cover sections, a, hinge connecting the sections comprising a pair of leaves disposed each on the rear wall of one of said sections, one of said leaves having means connecting it with its corresponding rear Wall the other rear Wall having a shoulder thereon, the leaf corresponding to the last mentioned rear wall having a pair of ears one projecting forwardly of and the other rearwardly of said leaf, the rearwardly projecting ear extending in the direction of the pivotal axis of the hinge and engaging said shoulder, and the forwardly projecting ear extending in an opposite direction, and a spring for closing the cover section having one end connected with the forwardly projecting ear of the last mentioned leaf and its opposite end connected with the other of said leaves, said spring exerting pressure on the leaf having the rearwardly projecting ear in a di rection tending to urge said ear in engagemenl with said shoulder.

3. A receptacle of the class described comprising body and cover sections,-each having a shoulder on the inner face of its rear wall and slots in its side walls adjacent said rear wall, and a pair of hinged leaves one disposed on the inner face of each of therear walls of the sections, said leaves each having its side edges disposed within the slots of the side walls corresponding thereto and each having a pair of cars projecting therefrom one forwardly and the other rearwardly and formed by slitting the leaf and striking outwardly the material at opposite sides of the slit, the rearwardly extending ear of each leaf being tensioned by engagement with its corresponding rear wall when positioning the leaf thereon and springing into locking engagement with the shoulder on said wall when moving the leaf to final position thereon, and a spring for returning the cover section to closed position and having its ends connected with the forwardly projecting ears of said hinge leaves.

4. A'hinge for connecting the body and cover sections of the receptacle, said hinge comprising pivotally connected leaves one of which is provided with a pair of ears projecting from opposite sides thereof and extending each in the direction of the other and formed by slitting the leaf and striking upwardly the material at opposite sides of the slit.

5. A hinge for connecting the body and cover sections of a receptacle, said hinge comprising pivotally connected leaves one of which is provided with a pair of ears projecting from opposite sides thereof and extending each in the direction of the other and formed by slitting the leaf and striking upwardly the material of the leaf at the opposite sides of the slit, said leaves having portions of their side edges ofiset relative to the plane of the leaf.

6. A hinge for connecting the body and cover sections of a receptacle, said hinge comprising a pair of pivotally connected leaves each having an opening and a pair of ears struck upwardly from the leaf at opposite sides thereof and forming two sides of the opening, one of said ears extending in the direction of the pivotal axis of the hinge and the other extending in the opposite direction, the ears of the leaves extending in the direction of said axis being provided for engagement with shoulders on opposing walls of the box sections to lock the leaves in position on said Walls and the oppositely extending ears being adapted to receive the ends of a spring for closing the cover section of the box.

HAROLD G. VALENTINE. ADEL'BERT C. 'IRAVER. 

